Thespian Camp
by FlowerofAdversity
Summary: When Lisa signs up for a summer drama camp run by Robert Terwilliger, she finds her emotions getting the better of her. The only question now is, has Bob really changed or is he still a deranged lunatic ?


Thespian Camp

Synopsis: Long before the feud between the Simpsons and the Terwilligers is mended, Lisa, against her better judgment tries for the lead in Antigone and strangely is not killed by Robert and instead finds herself getting a bit of a crush on him. When he corrects her mistakes, she finds a thrill in his touch, but realizes her feelings are beginning to confuse her.

Chapter 1--Have You Gone _INSANE ?_

Lisa had been excelling in school as usual and currently was at the top of her class in junior high. If matters continued at such a rate, she would be boosted a grade and possibly be one of the youngest attendees of high school. To be honest, such a concept frightened her a bit, but higher learning beckoned her. Sadly, after school ended, she found herself longing for education and nothing could satisfy her. Not even her insatiable reading could bring her any comfort.

Like usual, Lisa perused the newspaper while Bart looked into space idly. She saw an advertisement about "Thespian Camp", open to any and all people who wished to try the difficult art of acting. She noticed the councilor was none other than Robert Terwilliger, the Simpson's sworn enemy. She sighed, and shook her head left and right.

"I cannot believe this revolving door system we have. Criminals aren't getting what they truly deserve !", she said, clanging her orange juice glass on the table.

"Monster trucks…", Bart muttered in a daze and nodded off in his bowl of Krusty cereal. Even at this age, he was eating that garbage and it wasn't helping him lose weight. He had gained quite a bit and had to live at home with Homer and Marge because he still hadn't found work. Lisa had found him to be a lost cause, but she slipped him a little note she had written on the back of the funnies to get his attention. At least that would make him a little mad and get him thinking about his future.

After preparing herself for a day in the park, Lisa thought of the Thespian Camp and who was running it.

"Do I really want to risk my life ? Is it so wrong to be bored stiff all summer long while waiting endlessly for school to begin once more ?", she pondered, curiously. The thought seemed morbid and terrifying at best but her mind had been made up. She was going to try for the role of Antigone in his modern-day production of it. The play itself was going to remain true to Sophocles' original but it would be done in a more modern, present day fashion.

Lisa told her parents in a very straightforward manner that she wished to attend Thespian Camp. When Marge read who was running it, she immediately had second thoughts.

"It's not just _Bart _he has a vendetta against but _all of us honey_. Do you really think he would forget about us so soon even though he is going through reform ?", she said, becoming a bit angered, and alarmed at how flawed her daughter's logic was.

"If you are that concerned, I'll go under an assumed name. From this day forward, I'm Susan B. Anthony.", Lisa stated, very patiently. Bart almost died laughing upon hearing her alias.

"Well 'Susan', I hope your campaign goes well…You really have lost it, Leese.", Bart said, shaking his head left and right. The whole family knew they couldn't talk Lisa out of her decision, even though they knew deep in their hearts it was wrong. They decided to keep close contact on her via cell-phone just to be cautious. Rolling her eyes, Lisa took the precaution and prepared herself to go out on her own for the first time. Needless to say, Marge and Homer were a bit saddened by letting their daughter fly free for once. Maggie too, hated to see her beloved sister leave her side, when she could be staying home and playing with her. As for Bart; he didn't care one way or the other. It just meant he had more room in the house to sit around and do nothing in.

Chapter 2--The Oddest Sensation

Lisa first met the other thespians that would be spending the week with her and performing Antigone together. It would be a tremendous undertaking, one that would take their determination, persistence, perspiration and conviction. As soon as everyone had a cabin picked out, Lisa met her new friends and began reading their scripts. Fairly soon, Robert would be watching their rehearsals and Lisa was a little skittish about performing in front of him. Maybe he would kill her, but hopefully under her false name he wouldn't suspect her. At least, that is what she hoped and prayed for.

Without any hesitation, after seeing all the rehearsals, Robert chose Lisa for the lead.

"I must say though, you are quite familiar.", he said, looking at her face closely. The touch of his hand sent shivers up her spine. But unlike before when she had a close encounter with this psychotic killer, it was a pleasurable sensation. She blushed darkly, trying not to giggle.

"No, I'm no one you might've met before, Mr. Terwilliger.", Lisa answered, straightforwardly. Essentially, her acting was remarkably believable thus her cover wasn't blown.

"Feel free to call me Bob, Sue.", Robert said with a laugh, patting her on the back. Again, her legs felt like jelly at his gesture of affection. He wasn't showing anyone this type of outward care and she felt strangely good about it. Her heart raced, and her arms longed to hold him, but she knew she was playing dangerously with fire if she did. Yet, she knew, against all logic, this is what she wanted, a little adventure and excitement, even if it was precarious.

That night, after being congratulated by her newest girlfriends, Leena, Aurora, Saffron and Pele on her role and the fact that they were slightly jealous of her, she basked in the glow of small idolatry momentarily. She talked to them at length about life, love and the future, becoming a bit sleepy in the process. Before long, she and the four other girls had fallen asleep looking forward to tomorrow's preparation. Antigone was not an easy play to perform, and the performers were about to do something bold and new to the interpretation of it. The play itself wouldn't be rewritten, just the setting, background and date. Sure it might fall to scrutiny and make a few purists upset, but that was what the craft of creativity was truly about, stirring emotions and evoking thought within the audience.

That evening, Lisa had the strangest dream. She had experienced dreams about boys before but never something so warm or sensual. Slowly it seemed her emotions were ruling out her logic, but her mind reminded her again not to get too involved or else face the consequences. Her heart on the other hand, was a bit stronger than her mind in this instance and for the first time, Lisa shut off the voice of wisdom and logic.

Chapter 3--Close Encounter with _Death_

During the weeks that encompassed the formation of the play, Lisa became more confident in herself and nearly floated every time she heard Robert's praise.

"Well played, my dear ! Marvelous, simply fantastic ! This play is going to be spectacular !", he said, but he couldn't be overconfident. There was always the chance that there would be mistakes made, but Lisa was certain that even if there were small errors, no one would notice. Not even Robert.

The last night of rehearsals was coming closer and the actors and actresses were becoming nervous. Some of them were even a little frightened, but having these emotions was perfectly normal. Everything seemed set and ready to go, except for some half-witted actor who had been chatting up a rather sultry redhead had left the trap door open and Lisa, preparing for her final scene walked right into it.

Before she had the chance to scream or break her neck from the fall, Lisa opened her eyes to Robert holding her to his chest, breathing hard.

"You're not harmed are you ?", he questioned, and then glared hard at the rookie who had left the trap door ajar. Quickly, without inquiry, he closed it.

Lisa blushed, feeling Robert's breath tickling her.

"N-No. I am unharmed.", she said, afraid to look directly in his eyes for fear he'd notice her blushing.

"Thank heavens. You could've died.", he said, his voice cracking momentarily.

Apparently, it seemed Robert's character had changed. Yet, then again, he didn't know who she was, or so she thought.

"You had me fooled before.", Robert said as he sat her back down on the stage. Lisa felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Her heart beat wildly. She felt like a caged animal being prepared for slaughter, but she couldn't look away from Robert's alluring dark orbs.

"Fooled ? What do you mean by that ?", Lisa said, her fear and paranoia building.

"I had a feeling you were someone familiar the moment I set my eyes on you. And now I know.", he said, circling her predatorily. She swallowed hard as he stood right next to her and whispered in her ear.

"You have nothing to fear from me, or my family. That part of my existence is dead and gone now.", Robert said as he unexpectedly held her close and kept Lisa's head near to his heart. Lisa closed her eyes momentarily and in that second of time, she was transported to paradise. Her fear had subsided and love had overtaken her. She wished she could say how strongly she felt for him but her conscience told her such a thing shouldn't be done. After all, he was a _married _man and she didn't believe in polygamy.

"Now again. Run the line again.", he said, patting her on the back. Nodding her head and smiling radiantly, Lisa performed even better than she had before, if that was possible.

"Sensational. I think everything is in place. I just have to keep my eyes peeled on that prop boy. He's such a hooligan.", Robert said, murmuring the last part only to Lisa, who laughed at his wicked humor.

Chapter 4--Risky Business

The performance of Antigone had been more of success than even Robert had imagined. Lisa's family had come to watch her and they were quite proud of her.

"You're happier than usual, and that is all I ever wanted for you.", Marge said, hugging her close. Lisa felt sublime, even more so since she had heard Robert's applause. Yet, it was bittersweet for her. It would be one more day to break down the props and background before the company went their separate ways and she was going to miss her new best friends as well as her "forbidden love", but she didn't realize there had been someone who had their eye on her in the audience and had been planning to have his way with her.

During a break, the actors and actresses drank water and chatted with each other. Robert, sitting in the audience, had a serious demeanor and looked as if he could weep at the destruction he was seeing. Bashfully, Lisa sat next to him and cautiously, reached out to place her hand atop of his.

"I know how much you love the stage…and seeing this is like losing a family member, isn't it ?", she said, understandingly.

"It is. It rends the heart asunder. But I know it is not my last play.", Robert said, squeezing her hand confidently. The affectionate gesture caused her cheeks to flush hotly once more, and he knew why.

"I'm flattered you're so enamored of me, but I'm afraid nothing will ever come of your attraction to me.", Robert stated, bluntly. Lisa was hurt, but she didn't weep. She knew this would be his response.

"There are plenty of other fish in the sea, right ? As clichéd as that sounds. One day, I'll catch the right one. And besides, I'm just a young adult. My one true love now…is knowledge.", Lisa said, grinning. No matter what, she wasn't sorrowful at all. In fact, airing out this confession made her feel free.

"That's the spirit. You have plenty of time to concern yourself with love. It's one of those elements in life that happens naturally. There are many unknowns to the equation, and eventually someone comes along that _solves _that unknown quotient.", Robert stated, patting her on the back. Giggling girlishly, she returned to breaking down the stage, not knowing all the while a hooded stalker waited outside in the darkness, watching her every move.

It was evening by the time all the props, backgrounds and miscellaneous items had been broken down into recyclables. It was sufficient to say that everyone was exhausted and quickly said their final goodbyes sharing hugs, kisses and many even kept in touch by exchanging emails. Lisa's new friends made certain they would keep the lines of communication open and if they ever wanted to hang out, she was welcome to 'chill' with them if she liked.

As Lisa began heading for her cabin, a pair of unfamiliar hands grasped her from behind. Instinctively, she bit down as hard as she could and screamed.

"There's someone out here ! Help !", she yelled, running toward the main cabin, where Robert and his family were staying. He had stated before in many situations, if anyone needed assistance to come there and he would do his best to assist in whatever way he could. The stalker, still following her, tried catching up to her and grabbing her around the waist but instead was met by the steely gaze of Robert.

"Lay one hand on her and she'll be the last female you'll ever see.", Robert threatened. His wife stood close by, rolling pin in hand. She had gotten it from the kitchen in the nearby room and was poised to use it at any given time. Gino was in bed, and strangely enough the screaming hadn't roused him.

The possible rapist had been apprehended by the police and he was taken to solitary confinement. Apparently, this very same man had been getting away with the same crime in other summer camps until he was caught. Robert's record still wasn't "clean" entirely, but what he had done had changed the viewpoint of those around him.

He had a long way to go before he could be considered unthreatening to the public, but he was willing to make sacrifices along the way. After all, he had done a great service to the community and had erased any fears that Lisa and her family could've had. That part of his past, as he had said, was "dead and gone", never to return again.

Epilogue 

Lisa, having overcome many harrowing situations during the summer had finally settled down and only remembered the positive experiences of camp. She was hanging out with her thespian friends and had become quite "hip", which was ironic considering her social groups and her love of knowledge. It wasn't to say people like her didn't want to have social lives and gain popularity but the norm tended to be different. Suffice it to say, Lisa never really danced to the drum of society's rules or fit the stigma of being "normal" (whatever the devil that happened to be at the time).

There was a subconscious part of her that wondered about Bob and his family, but she couldn't worry too terribly much. Her schooling kept her busy and she found herself consumed with work and extra curricular activities. The love she had experienced for Robert had waned and she had found a new love in working in the library part time as well as playing jazz in the nearby Kit Kat Club. Her future was looking even brighter since she was hired as a full-time gig at night. The patrons adored hearing her soulful sax and were moved by the music just like she was. Someday, she hoped that she would have her own solo gig, but that would have to wait until she had her feet planted firmly on the ground. With her pursuits behind her and her work keeping her busy, life had become a never ending journey and her one love, knowledge, always kept her company.

The End


End file.
